Rest in Power Louis Escobar (1950-2020): 1st LGBTQ+ Toledo City Councilperson

Louis Escobar, the first LGBTQ+ and first Latinx individual to be elected to Toledo City Council, died on August 29 at age 70.

Escobar shattered barriers when he ran for City Council in 1997 in a city that never before featured an openly LGBTQ+ or Latinx councilperson. Though he was initially considered to be a long-shot, his authenticity and passion for public service propelled him to a successful election. He served two four-year terms, which included three years as President.

“A lot of people told me, ‘Don’t feel bad if you’re not elected to City Council your first time around, because that happens a lot,’ but I was elected the first time around,” Escobar said in an interview with The Toledo Blade in 2006. “I think it says a lot for the city to elect a gay man and a Latino to City Council. [Toledo Mayor] Jack Ford said then it was historic, and I have to admit I didn’t really understand it at the time.”

His unwavering dedication to building consensus and lifting up voices in his community included decades of work with organizations like EqualityToledo, the AIDS Resource Center, the Fair Housing Center, Toledo Sister Cities, Toledo/Lucas County Homelessness Board, the Latino Arts Council, the Latino/Hispanic Alliance of Greater Toledo, Stonewall Democrats and St. Paul’s Community Center.

Tributes from allies, constituents, and a grateful city poured in on social media.

https://www.facebook.com/equalitytoledo/posts/4263779287025314

https://www.facebook.com/ElectWade/posts/2775678902757418

https://www.facebook.com/VocesLatinasTV/posts/956471311446289

https://www.facebook.com/cityoftoledo/posts/3422083401188603

Escobar succumbed to congestive heart failure, according to his partner of 32 years, Kelly Altenberger.

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